Joe Biden, the President-elect, has an action plan to tackle climate change by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. 

During his presidency, Biden plans to recommit to the Paris Agreement and take action against companies in order to switch to clean energy. Climate change is a process that includes the production of greenhouse gasses, which include; Carbon Dioxide, Methane, Nitrous Oxide, and Fluorinated Gases. These gasses heat up the Earth’s atmosphere in order to sustain life but throughout the years there has been an increase in these gasses due to human activities. Therefore, it damages our planet by emitting an excess amount of heat into the atmosphere. This can cause extreme weather changes, rising temperatures, and rising sea levels. 

Isabella Bañuelos, an 11th-grade Biology honors student, discussed how humans have been contributing to climate change. 

“People contribute to climate change every day by their electricity, travel, food, and lifestyle choices,” said Bañuelos. “Humans have created harmful efficiencies that produce tons of greenhouse gasses each day, and the emissions are the top contributor to climate change.”

One of the first steps planned for Biden’s presidency is to recommit America to the Paris Agreement. The agreement offers countries a global action plan to decrease greenhouse gas emissions in order to reduce the effects of climate change. This will drive the agreement’s goal to have a temperature limiting the increase to 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Emely Torres, a junior at DVC, expresses the importance of signing the agreement. 

“It is important for us [America] to sign this agreement because The United States is one of the biggest contributors to climate change,” said Torres. “We can already see the damage that it can do to the country. It can range from wildfires in the West to hurricanes in the South. Biden signing this agreement will be a step for America in the right direction.” 

Biden’s current plan guarantees zero greenhouse commissions by the year 2050. He plans to achieve this by spending $2 trillion over the next four years to upgrade four million buildings to run on clean energy instead of carbon. This will make the United States have net-zero carbon emissions by 2035. Angelique Martinez, a student environmentalist, explains how this can improve our conditions. 

“The cut of greenhouse gas emissions would improve our planet life greatly,”  said Martinez. “This will help regulate the Earth’s equilibrium, and lower global warming since the US produces large amounts of emissions compared to the rest of the world.”

Biden’s action plan can help protect Americans from the damage that climate change can create. Although, Republicans dominate the senate and it can be difficult for Biden to pass climate orders. If Biden is able to structure his plan to benefit the economy, Republican senators will have more of a chance to pass his climate plan.